Russian court clears Hindu holy text
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 21 March 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russian court clears Hindu holy text, 21 March 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4f717aeec.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 21, 2012
A court in the Russian city of Tomsk has said that a sacred Hindu text does not contain extremist material.
The Tomsk district court upheld an earlier ruling by a lower court in December.
Prosecutors wanted the Bhagavad Gita banned because the text's Russian translation contained a prologue by Swami Prabhupada. He is the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, which has experienced difficulties with the law in post-Soviet Russia.
The case got the attention of India's government.
Indian Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna said Russian prosecutors' attempts to ban the book were the result of "ignorant and misdirected or motivated individuals" who were attacking a text that defined the "very soul of our great civilization."
Based on AFP reports
